ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of metal nanoparticles (NPs) as catalysts for applications in various chemical reactions. In various chemical reactions, catalysts play key roles in accelerating the transformation of reactants into products chemically. The careful selection of a catalyst enhances the reaction selectivity and eliminates chemical waste, which usually depends on the number of active sites and turnover frequency or turnover number of the catalyst. The nucleation and uncontrolled growth of nanocatalyst into macroscopic structures reduce catalytic activity and precipitate in the reaction mixture. Strong interactions between metals show their crucial role in catalytic reactions. The synthesis of encapsulated metal NPs from metal NPs that used an organic capping agent provides the most effective approach to manage the shape, size, metal NP composition, and surface properties. Lactams have diverse potential therapeutic values to treat various diseases. Lactams are synthesized from the amino acids, the Beckmann rearrangement of oximes, Schmidt ligation of hydrazoic acid, and cyclic ketones.
